Easter Safety for Your Pet

With Easter just around the corner, time is running out for dying eggs and filling baskets! Spring is upon us and the Easter holiday is a great time to enjoy nice weather, family, and fun. Before the Easter Bunny comes hopping to your town, let’s set aside a moment to think about our furry friends… While Easter conjures up thoughts of warmer weather, greener grass, and Spring time activities, this holiday can also pose some toxic threats to your pets! Here are a few precautions to consider during your celebrations:

Easter Lilies: These pretty flowers are a trademark of the Easter season. Though these flowers are beautiful to behold, they also incredibly toxic to our fuzzy friends. When ingested, these flowers are poisonous and can even be deadly to cats! They can cause vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and kidney failure. Keep these flowers up and away from your pets’ reach and if you think your pet might have consumed any part of the plant, call your vet immediately. Tulips, Calla Lilies, Daisies, and Daffodils can all be harmful as well.

Easter grass: Easter baskets aren’t the same without colorful Easter grass, but this bright decoration can be very damaging to your pets if swallowed. Ingestion of artificial grass can cause minor health problems like constipation and vomiting, but major problems could arise as well; The long strands of this grass can tangle around intestines, causing a seriously blockage that requires surgery to correct. Make sure to place Easter baskets in a safe place and consider using something different, such as tissue paper.

Chocolate: While it is well known that chocolate is poison to dogs, our wily canine friends still find ways to get forbidden treats. Keeping chocolate off of the floor, where your pet’s can’t reach it would obviously be the first line of defense, but kids caught up in the excitement of the holiday might forget to keep your pet’s safety first and leave treats unattended. Make sure to educate kids about the harms of giving pets chocolate and remind them to keep candy out of reach. Some warning signs of chocolate poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, lethargy, increased thirst, elevated heart rate, and seizures. High levels of the toxin found in chocolate are poisonous to both the nervous system and heart and could be deadly.

Xylitol: This popular sugar substitute is highly harmful to pets! This is usually can be found in sugar free candy and causes a rapid drop in blood sugar – which can lead to seizures and liver failure.

Easter eggs: Whether you use real eggs or plastic, these colorful decorations can make your pet very sick. Eating real eggs can cause and upset and if your pet swallows them whole a blockage could occur. Egg shells are not easy for your pet to digest, so days of discomfort could result. Eggs that are hidden during an egg hunt and not found become irresistible to your pet the more smelly they get.Eating rotten eggs never has outcome! Plastic eggs can’t spoil – but they are also not digestible and could cause a serious intestinal blockage if eaten.

By heeding to the above warnings, you and your pets can have a safe and happy Easter. In order to make the holiday special for your pet, try getting your pet their own special Easter dog treats!